


Explanation

by KaytiKazoo



Series: 2020 Prompts [22]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Multi, Referenced One Night Stand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo
Summary: The team is forced to work with Grant Ward, and Fitz keeps finding himself alone with him.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse/Jemma Simmons, past Leo Fitz/Grant Ward
Series: 2020 Prompts [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985246
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Explanation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 50 Day Fic Prompt, “I don't owe you an explanation”, posted to [my tumblr.](http://kaytikazoo.tumblr.com)

“You want us to work with Ward? To trust him?” he asked incredulous. “I’ll remind you that he dropped Simmons and me into the ocean, and tortured and shot Bobbi, and a laundry list of things.”

“We need him,” Coulson said.

“Not this desperately,” Hunter agreed.

“I don’t want you anywhere near him,” Coulson said, pointing at Hunter. “Just stay away from him.”

“I’ll stay away from him, but if he comes near us,” Hunter said.

“Noted.”

Fitz touched Hunter’s shoulder, and watched Hunter relax under his touch.

When Ward stepped into the room, though, everyone tensed, and no one relaxed as long as he was in the room. 

Fitz found himself in a room alone with Ward a few days later, the team having filed out after a lengthy discussion.

“Can we talk?” Ward asked.

“No,” he said, starting for the door. Ward reached out and grabbed Fitz’s arm in a careful grasp, not enough to hurt but enough to hold him in place. 

“I don’t want you near me,” Fitz said, pulling his arm out of Ward’s grasp. He hated that he immediately thought of his gentle touch, the way he seemed broken and conflicted as they kissed, as they moaned together. He forced his mind off that night.

“Fitz,” Ward said as if Fitz were breaking his heart.

“I don’t want you touching me.”

“Please.”

“No, I don’t owe you anything –” 

“I just want to explain.”

“And I don’t want to hear it.”

“Everything okay in here?” Hunter asked. Fitz stepped back from Ward, and Hunter was there, touching the small of his back with a feather touch, light but still solid enough to anchor them. “Is he bothering you?”

“No,” Fitz said evenly, “we’re good. I was just leaving.”

“Okay, let’s go get dinner then, love,” Hunter said, leaning in to kiss Fitz. It was clearly a territorial move, staking his claim in Fitz as  _ his _ , but Fitz didn’t and couldn’t mind when it was Hunter. 

The next time, Ward managed to get Fitz alone, he didn’t touch Fitz but stood close enough that Fitz could feel his breath on his face.

“Leo,” he said, and Fitz was back in that bunk, Ward gasping his name as he came underneath Fitz. 

“No,” he replied, stepping back, “you don’t get to call me Leo. You lost that privilege.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Ward said so softly.

“You drowned me!”

“The pod was supposed to float.”

“And that makes what you did to me okay?”

“I was supposed to kill you, but I couldn’t, not after –”

“After you slept with me knowing you were going to betray us?”

“Leo,” he almost whined, and Fitz had to force himself to take a breath.

“No,” Fitz said firmly.

“Fitz, are you in here?” Jemma’s voice called, breaking Fitz out of this tense moment with Ward. 

“I am.”

She stepped into the room, and narrowed her eyes at Ward.

“We’re going to miss our reservation if we don’t leave now,” she said, “and we won’t get another date night for a while.”

Fitz saw Ward’s confusion cross his features, and he took that opportunity to leave Ward behind, following Jemma out. 

The day before the plan was set to start, Ward grabbed Fitz by the arm and steered him into an empty lab. Ward was monitored closely so he couldn’t go anywhere that might be detrimental to SHIELD as a whole. 

“Stop doing  _ this _ ,” Fitz said.

“I need to see you,” Ward said. “Please, listen.”

“You have one shot, and then I’m leaving.”

“I’ll be quick,” Ward replied, but didn’t immediately start. When he did, Fitz swore he saw in his eyes a little bit of the man he’d known before his betrayal, and the man he’d taken to bed that night. “I’ve been under Garrett’s thumb since I was a kid. He molded me into what he wanted, and I didn’t even realize that until he was gone and there was no one to give me orders, or tell me who to be. I wasn’t even in Hydra for Hydra. I just followed Garrett wherever he wanted me to go. When he was gone, the bridge to this was already burned.”

“There’s no this,” Fitz said evenly.

“No, you’re right. I fucked up a lot. When Garrett said to cross you off, I couldn’t disobey, but I thought I found a work around. I should’ve done better, done more. I’m not asking you to forgive me because I don’t deserve it, but I wanted to apologize.”

“Why?”

“You deserve it,” Ward said. “You were so good to me. You took care of me in a way no one else did, and hasn’t since. You deserve at least an apology.”

“Thank you.”

“Fitz,” Bobbi said, the door banging open and she paused in the doorframe, eyes finding Ward. Bobbi, particularly and obviously, kept her distance from Ward, given what he’d done. 

“I’m okay,” he said, stepping back and into her space, putting himself between Ward and Bobbi to relax her, and kissing her cheek. “He’s not hurting me.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“I know. We’re done here,” Fitz said, started to lead Bobbi away, linking their hands.

“Actually,” Ward started, and Fitz looked over his shoulder, “what is this? You with Hunter, with Simmons, with her.”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” Fitz said lightly. “See you around, Ward.”

Bobbi kissed him once they were alone.

“You’re okay, though?”

“I am. I’m okay. He apologized, actually.”

“Is his apology worth with it?”

“No idea, but it doesn’t matter because I have you guys to take care of me. I can trust you, and you’ve never hurt me. Doesn’t matter what he did when I have the three of you to come home to.”

He could always relax, let out a breath, forget the bad in the world, because he had them. 


End file.
